19 Crimes

Stylish sepia-toned labels on the bottles of 19 Crimes wines feature gritty, unsmiling photos of men and women who received "punish by transportation" to Australia. The Down Under makers of this series of reds also offer a snazzy app that lets you "come face to face with these infamous convicts." Whip out your phone, point it at the bottle, and the app animates the label. The ghostly prisoners themselves tell highly elided, dubiously accurate, and aggressively poetic versions of their life stories.

It's the perfect wine to bring to a dinner party where the assembled guests might be interested in conversation about criminal justice, immigration, or booze. (In other words, the only dinner parties worth attending.)

19 Crimes is also a rare wine with gimmicky marketing that is actually quite drinkable, especially for the price point—about $11 a bottle.

Comments

[Inigo Montoya]

It is very good quality for that price point. But I didn't realize the labels were animated. Nice to know!

I admit to sometimes trying out a wine or a microbrew beer purely based on interesting label design. I know that marks me as a non-connoisseur. Oh well...